Japan to provide Rs478m grant for human resource development in Pakistan

Under the grant programme, Japan will offer scholarships for master and doctoral degrees to the young and capable govt officials

ISLAMABAD: Economic Affairs Division Secretary Noor Ahmed and Embassy of Japan’s Minister/Deputy Chief of Mission Yusuke Shindo on Thursday signed a grant agreement, amounting to JPY 322.00 million (Rs478 million), for ‘Human Resource Development Scholarships’ in the academic year 2020.

Under this programme, the Japanese government would offer scholarships for master and doctoral degrees to the young and capable government officials who are expected to play leading roles in contributing to the socio-economic development of the country. It also aims to build a human resource network that could eventually strengthen the bilateral relationship between both the countries.

Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Azhar said that this opportunity would strengthen the government’s administrative capacities, adding that all developing countries confront the challenge of designing coherent policies that can simultaneously improve service delivery, accelerate economic growth, reduce poverty and inequality and meet environmental challenges.

“The Japanese government has been one of the most important development partners of Pakistan in the last six decades. Japan’s economic cooperation has played a vital role in the development of Pakistan’s socio-economic sectors by focusing on human uplift, poverty reduction and capacity building of our institutions. Pakistan values Japan’s assistance in the fields of education, health, energy, environment, disaster management and counterterrorism,” he remarked.